Bengali Language and Culture Should Be the Pride of Bengalis, Not Shame

Smita Jannat

The greatness of the language Bangla is not limited to just one month in February, the practice of language is a universal fundamental right and responsibility throughout the country, time and place. The history of Bangla language is not in today, the history of development of Bangla language is about 1300 years old.

Bangla language and culture have been on the minds of the people of the world for a long time. It is rare in the history of Hindus and Muslims to live side by side and go to war shoulder to shoulder in 1971, irrespective of religion or caste. This region of the Indian subcontinent has its own traditions and culture.

 Bengal was known as the richest region of the time which was called the capital of subcontinental politics and culture.Bangla was the richest literature in all of Asia. It was recognized as the official language of the first court in Bengal during the Sultanate period. Rabindranath Tagore, the first author of Bangla literature, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Kazi Nazrul Islam became an anti-British writer. Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay is known as the best novelist and story writer of Bangla literature.

 All of them contributed to make the Bangla language more aesthetic and rich. Moreover, poets like Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Palli Kabi Jasimuddin, Jibanananda Das, Sukant Bhattacharya, Subhash Mukherjee, Manik Bandyopadhyay, Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay have brought Bangla literature to the pinnacle of development.

Not only literature but also the works of Bengali philosophers have been preserved in Tibet of China. Of which Atishiya, Tilopa are notable. The Sufi philosophy of Jalaluddin Rumi, Abdul Quader Jilani and Moinuddin Chishti and the famous Sufi Shah Jalal is more or less known.Bangla has given birth to famous Indian scholars including Alauddin Khan, Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan and others. The famous Baul Lalon Shah was born here. Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Geeti is the lifeblood of Banglas.

Although Muslims and Hindus have separate marriages, the main attraction of Bengalis marriages is turmeric ceremony. Apart from Bangla, there is no turmeric ceremony in Muslim marriages.Old architectural style like Mahasthangarh has also been built in this Bengal. Terracotta carvings are a part of the original culture of Bengal. Palaces, mosques, temples are all over the place. During the Mughal period, Bengal was known as Venice of the West and the city of mosques. British Calcutta was known as the capital of the East which later spread the names of architects like Mazharul Islam and Lewis Kahn.

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman presented this Bangla language on the world stage by giving a speech in Bangla at the United Nations. Representing Bengal in the international arena on September 25, 1974, he won the hearts and appreciation of all.

Besides his mother tongue Bangla, with second language English, the world famous Michael Madhusudan Dutt could easily speak Latin, Greek, Persian, Hebrew, Telugu, Tamil etc. He became more and more fond of English language and literature. But in a moment of life, he can feel the greatness of his country and language.

He could also write poetry in English, Persian and Italian. He knew twelve more languages besides his mother tongue. But in the last days of his life, loving his mother tongue, he gave Bangla an outstanding achievement. Madhusudan Dutt's greatest achievement is the epic Meghnadabadha Kavya based on the Ramayana anecdote in Amitrakshara verse. Madhusudan Dutt is considered to be one of the pioneers of Bangla renaissance literature.

Bangla language and culture also lagged behind in poetry, philosophy, literature, patterns and fame. Numerous Bangla speakers are living not only in the national languages of the two countries but also in the Middle East, United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia and almost all the countries of Europe.

Several newspapers are currently being published in Bangla from Europe, America, Japan and Canada, and programs are being broadcast in Bangla on television and radio channels. Bangla language is being taught in schools, colleges and universities of different countries of the world. Bangla language and Bangla culture is practiced in many cities of the world including Montreal, New York, Toronto, Sydney, Melbourne, Tokyo, Osaka, Beijing, Singapore.

About 3% of the world's population speaks Bangla. According to the 2019 census, the number of Bangla speakers in Bangladesh alone is about 160 million. According to Wikipedia, the total number of Bangla speakers in the world is 265 million.But in spite of being so rich, the value of Bangla language is decreasing day by day. Not only language but also Bangla culture is getting lost in imitation of western culture. From childhood, everyone is taught English language.

 Despite the fact that mother tongue is Bangla, this language is being neglected day by day. Speaking from Bangla to English is more valuable and the importance of giving speeches in English is being given more importance. Hindi or English songs are being sung on Independence Day, Victory Day and even Mother Language Day. Although emphasis is placed on correct spelling of English language, spelling, misapplication and even Guruchandali fault are prevailing in Bangla language.

Proficiency in English is the first condition for participation in most workplaces, big and small. Apart from Mother Language Day, Victory Day and Independence Day, people are entering the Shaheed Minar wearing shoes on other days. The boundary between the use of Bangla Sadhu language and the chalit language seems to be rising.

There is a great need to learn English as an international language but that does not mean to neglect the mother tongue Bangla. Therefore, besides English, Bangla language should also be evaluated at all levels of the country. Just because a person speaks less English does not mean that he or she is not good or skilled. Language is not the capacity but the human identity.

Syed Abul Maqsood, a Bangladeshi journalist, columnist, researcher, essayist and writer, said, "Liberation war and independence is from the struggle for independence. Today, if we blindly imitate the western culture by abandoning that nationalist consciousness, it is our extreme poverty and moral defeat. We don't need globalization, we need Banglaization. "

We are Bengali, this is our pride, not shame. If anyone is prevented from introducing himself as a Bengali then he is not qualified to be a Bengali anyway. We fought and got our language, our identity. And what could be more proud than that, in exchange for millions of heroes, we got our mother tongue Bangla and Bengali is our identity. All Bengali have to say with their hands on their chests, "I am Bengali and this is my identity".


Smita Jannat is a Student of Jagannath University